Torres replaced Didier Drogba, who was not on the field when the moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.

Catch me if you can: Torres wheels away after scoring

'I was in the changing room and I wanted to run and jump on as well,' Drogba said.

'We know we have a great player here, next season is going to go well for him.'

Manager Carlo Ancelotti was thrilled for Torres, who he insisted last week would open his account before the end of the season.

El Nino: Torres will hope to go on a goalscoring run now

He said: 'It was a fantastic moment. It will help him move on quickly.

'I think that the bad moment is gone and now his future will be fantastic here, at this club with his team-mates.

'He needed to score to move from this moment.

Popular player: The relief of all of Chelsea is clear to see

'He scored and the next game will be, for him, really better.'

Ancelotti would have feared the worst when the ball got stuck in the mud and he added: 'He was unlucky there but it was fantastic to move quickly, to come back and to shoot well.'

Torres had been relegated to the bench for three successive games, with Drogba's vastly superior form impossible to ignore.

The pair have failed to strike up an understanding when they have played together but Ancelotti hinted he might field both against Tottenham next week.

'Considering the performance of Didier today, considering that Fernando scored, we have to try to put both together,' he said.

'We have one week to train, we can try and I think that I will take a decision for the next game.'

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